Watch-protector.



PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905n R. THRATT.

WATCH PROTEG APPLICATION FILED HAE.3,1904.

TOR.

Attorneys UNITED STATES Patented January 10, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

WATCH-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,888, dated January 10, 1905.

Application filed March 3, 1904. Serial No. 196,473.

To all whom it nuty concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD ALEXANDER THRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ivanhoe, in the county of Sampson and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful WVatch-Protector, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to watch-protectors.

The object of the invention is in a ready, simple, thoroughly efficient, and practical manner to shield watch movements from damage in case of being dropped and also to protect all the parts of the case-that is to say, the rim, bezel, crystal, back, stem, and ringagainst being marred or broken from the above cause; furthermore, to render unnecessary the removal of the protector from the watch in order to relieve the device of any accumulated dust or foreign matter that might find entrance to the watchcase.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a watch-protector that will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, there are illustrated two forms of embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, and. exact manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a watch-protector constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section. Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of a slightly -modified form of protector.

The protector (designated generally 1) may be made of any suitable material, preferably one that is elastic and yielding in character, the first-named requisite being to permit of its being readily positioned upon or removed from the case and the second to insure that in case the watch should fall the protector will positively shield both the movements and the case from injury. The protector is an annulus and may be ornamented or not, as preferred. As shown in Fig. 1, the protector is a ring-like structure and is provided with a peripheral flange 2 and two lateral flanges 3, the said flanges constituting, respectively, rim and face guards or shields. The outer faces of the guards are preferably rounded to facilitate removal of the watch from the pocket of the wearer and also to reduce wear of the pocket, and forthe purpose of lightness and to increase resilient properties of the flanges the same are incut or inset toward the inner circumference of the guard, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The inner circumference of the protector is provided with a groove 5, which subserves the dual function of providing means for inclosing and holding the rim of the case and also as a dust-collector, and in order to obviate the detachment of the protector from the case to free the same of any dust that might accumulate in the groove the rim-guard is provided with a plurality of orifices 6, which communicate with the groove 5, that portion of the rim-guard to which the orifices extend being provided with transverse notches 7, which operate to prevent any clogging of the orifices, and thus insure the free escape of dust or dirt.

In the form of embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1 there is no provision made for protecting the stem and ring or pendant, and should this be preferred the protector will have combined with it a stem and ring protector 8, as shown in Fig. 3, the ringprotecting portion 9 of the attachment being shaped to conform to the pendant and to inclose the same in such manner as to permit of its being turned to one side when the watch is to be wound. Of course this latter form of protector will be more particularly adapted for use in connection with stem winding watches, as the winding-stem is liable to become broken or damaged in the case of a fall; but with key-winding watches the stem and ring protector will not be essential. Instead of having the stem and ring protector an integral part of the device the same may be made as a separate article of manufacture and sold with the protector. (Shown in Fig. 1.)

The device of this invention, while being resilient annulus provided on its outer circum ferences with a stem and ring shield integral with the annulus, with spaced notches and with laterally-projccting bezel-engaging portions, and on its inner circumferences with a dustcollecting groove and with lateral dust-escape openings extending from the notches to the groove.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

tlCllAltl) ALEXANDER 'llIltA'lT.

\Vitnesses:

A. H. CORBE'IT, JOHN D. BEATIY. 

